‘Job numbers up by 35pc after NEP implementation’

Minister of Labour and Social Development Jameel Humaidan, the Board Chairman of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), stressed the positive results of the National Employment Programme (NEP), which was launched following the directives of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier.  

The programme aims through its four initiatives to boost employment, rehabilitation and integration of citizens in the labour market. It also seeks to give priority to Bahraini nationals and support them to become the first choice in employment while maintaining the market’s flexibility, being a cornerstone for sustainable development in Bahrain. The Labour and Social Development Minister was speaking in a statement to shed light on the positive results achieved in organising and developing the labour market, which were announced by the Cabinet in its session last Monday.

He stressed that NEP is one of the vital programmes, which contributed significantly to employing Bahraini jobseekers and generating quality jobs at salaries ranging between BD 300 and BD 800 and more. The overall number of employed Bahrainis reached 11,649 in the first half of 2019, of whom 3,495 nationals were enrolled at the labour market for the first time and 8,190 had worked before. The figures also showed that 103 enter the labour market on a daily basis, with the number increasing by 30 per cent since the NEP went into force.

The minister revealed that the number of vacancies has gone up by 35pc after the launch of NEP, at an average of 83 vacancies on daily basis, compared to the months preceding the launch of the programme (an average of 60 vacancies on daily basis). He added that the ministry received around 6,698 vacancies in the first half of 2019 which were disclosed to citizens. He praised positive cooperation of the companies in supporting the ministry’s employment efforts, pointing out that the 3,531 establishments in the private sector believed in the capabilities and high competence of the national competencies.

Concerning the training programmes provided by the Labour and Social Development Ministry in co-ordination with the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), the Labour and Social Development Minister said 2,768 jobseekers benefited from those programmes, which reached 500, during the first half of this year. He added that 375 beneficiaries took advantage from a created programme providing training while guaranteeing employment. He pointed out that 147 trainees have been given jobs so far and procedures are being finalised to employ the remaining ones.

The minister explained that the average salary of Bahraini workers in the public and private sectors has reached BD532, pointing out that in the private sector, the average salary has risen to BD431, marking an increase of 3.6pc. Meanwhile, he noted, the average salary in the public sector has reached BD696. He added that Bahraini workers in the public and private sectors who earn more than BD 400 per month account for 62.1pc of the overall number of jobs in both sectors. He also noted that Bahraini nationals who have salaries exceeding BD1,000 account for 30pc of the overall number of Bahraini workers in the private sector.

The Labour and Social Development Minister said that according to statistics carried out in June, 5,656 jobseekers benefited from a rise in the unemployment allowance from BD 150 to BD 200 for graduates and from BD 120 to BD 150 for undergraduates. He added that many jobseekers also benefited from an increase in the compensation period from six months to nine months. Fired workers also benefited from an increase in the compensation amount, which reached BD1,000 at most instead of BD 500.